Donovan's four month check up

It's official, Donovan is a chunk! He is now 17lbs 4oz, but feels like 20 lbs. He is 26 1/2 inches and is still in the 90th percentile for weight and height. The doctor said he looks great, he is very healthy. He also told me not to let anyone tell me he is too big!! Fat babies are happy and healthy babies! He has done really well. He had a bit of a cold at the beginning of this week, but has slept it off pretty well. He had to get shots today, so he is on tylenol and sleeping off the pain. He was so happy all morning and they had to go and ruin it! He was being so funny when the Dr. Jones was talking to me and asking questions. He loves to hear people talk, it makes him laugh for some reason...so while Dr. Jones was talking to me, Donovan was smiling and laughing at him. It was pretty entertaining and the Dr. couldn't keep a straight face. I'm not going to send pictures this post because you will all get to see him soon!!! Just a reminder for those of you who don't know, his blessing is going to be on December 30, at 11:00 am in Springville at Brad's parent's ward. If you need an address or directions, email or call me. We love all of you and can't wait to see you!!

Donovan's first laughs!

He's growing too fast!!!

Donovan has made some fun strides lately. He is starting to grab and play with his feet. He is getting much better at coordinating his hands to grab at objects as well. Today he was playing in the exersaucer and I thought he was going to tear the little green elephant's head off!! I wish I would have had the video camera, because he was going at it. He was trying to pull it out, I thought he was going to break it for a minute, he is getting so strong! Hannah came over earlier today and we tried to get him to sit up,but that didn't work out so well...he prefers to stand. One of his favorite things to do right now is hang over the edge of the couch and look at the "reiver" Christmas tree. He is getting to be so much fun. Everyone should be excited to see him during Christmas break, he is totally worth the wait!

In other news, we saw Hillary Clinton at the Council Bluffs Airport on Monday. We took a few pictures and wanted to get a shot with her and Donovan, just to say we did, but she left too soon... there was 1 person ahead of us and we were the last in line and she decided she had to leave...couldn't take 2 minutes to take 2 more pictures. It's okay, we weren't planning on voting for her anyway, and it made me feel less bad about taking this next picture that doesn't exactly make her look wholesome. She looks a little evil if you ask me...if you can't see it, you should click on it to get the lifesized version.
Anyway...Tomorrow is my last day at work!!! YAY!!! This has been the longest week of my life, but I have survived. No more driving across town to drop Donovan off and no more sitting at a desk playing on my calculator all day. Woot!

And I almost forgot, we are all moved into our new apartment and Donovan has brand new furniture...he is so spoiled!! We don't even have a dresser, but he sure does! As soon as we get everything organized, I will post pictures so you can all see what we are living in...it really isn't all bad, plus it's free.

Hurray for Donovan!

Donovan finally decided to cooperate for the camera so we have some video for you all to see how much fun we have with him.
We also got some fun pictures of him today too. He is loving the excersaucer!

ENJOY!!

Well, last week wasn't too bad. Donovan was very good for his mommy up until the last two days. He started to get pretty whiny and needy late Sunday afternoon and it continued on through the next day until Brad got home. I'm not sure what was wrong with him, but he is back to his normal cute self.
I-Dub took 2nd place at the national tournament again this year. It was a disappointment, they were the best team there, sometimes you just get unlucky.
I have been a little more aggressive with Donovan and his toys recently. He hasn't really shown much interest in them, he mostly just likes people, but he has been getting better. He is starting to reach for things that are in front of his face. He likes hands the most, but he is figuring other things out as well. It is a lot of fun seeing his progress. He changes from day to day and gets more and more interested in the world around him. We have a hard time getting good pictures of him because as soon as we pull out the camera all he does is stare at it. Today he was jabbering at us for about five minutes, but once we pulled out the video camera he shut right up. It is a little frustrating, but at least we get to see it. He makes the funniest faces when he talks to us. He jabbers on as if we can understand each other, it is so much fun. My mom says I started talking in sentences, and I am guessing he will do the same. He loves to stand up. He gets mad when we lie him down or try to make him sit. He is just like his dad so far. He even kicked a real soccer ball for the first time last night (sorry, no pictures). We love the little guy and can't wait to take him out to Utah to meet everyone!

This week

This is going to be an interesting week...Brad just left for Georgia (NJCAA National Soccer Tournament) this morning so I had to drop Donovan off by myself (I still hate doing it, but it won't be for much longer). I have to get up at 5:00 to get Donovan and myself ready and have him at the babysitter's by 6:30. IWCC is hosting the National Volleyball tournament this year and they volunteered the accounting department to do souvenir sales, check in, etc. So I have to be at the Mid America Center at 7 am...I guess it is better than sitting in the office not doing anything, but that is early. It is especially early when I have to get Donovan ready while trying to get myself ready. It will be interesting to see how smoothly it doesn't go.
I apologize, there will be no pictures until Brad gets home next Monday (he took the camera). So you will just have to picture Donovan and his cute face. He is starting to stick his tongue out a lot. He really likes to push out his lower lip with it and curl it around in his mouth. He is also sucking on his fingers more than we would like him to. He has been eating more often this week so I think he may be going through a growth spurt, which isn't good because his 3-6 month outfits are fitting perfectly right now. I don't know how I feel about my baby being 3 months old (TODAY) and wearing 6-9 month clothes. How did he get so big?!?!? He will go in for his 4 month check up before we go out to Utah in December. I wonder how much weight he will have gained by then...he is already at least 15 lbs. He is getting much stronger. Brad tried to sit him on his legs, but he wouldn't relax, he was trying to sit up by himself. It was pretty cute. We found another game that he enjoys...I was holding him up on his legs by his hips and he would let his body bend and crash into my chest. He found it quite amusing, as did we. Anyway, I am at work so I had better get back to it.

Almost 3 months old!

Donovan is almost 3 months old, he is getting so big and he gets cuter and more fun every day! We got our first family pictures on Saturday! We did it outside so Donovan was a little grumpy from all the wind of Council Bluffs, but they turned out cute anyway. I mean, come on, we are a good looking family.

We had a pretty eventful weekend/beginning of this week. The girls soccer team is going to Nationals which means I will be home alone with Donovan for a few days next week, but I think it will be alright, we will do some bonding. Brad got a job offer today, a job he had interviewed for at the beginning of June or July...they realized they had made a mistake not hiring him. So we will be moving again, about a mile away from where we are now. It's a good thing we didn't completely finish unpacking! I had finally decorated though, now I have to do it all over again. So it turns out that we may be spending a little more time in Iowa, more than I had planned. I am going to have a good attitude though because Brad will be making more money and we won't have to pay any rent or utilities, so I won't have to work!!! I may get a part time job, but I will be able to spend more time with Donovan and that makes me very happy, and Brad will be doing something new and interesting, so he will be happy too! We would be stupid to pass up an opportunity like this so we are going for it. We have been very blessed with great opportunities out here, it makes me think we are supposed to be here, but I try to push those thoughts out of my mind!

More Donovan news, he is all people care about anyway...He is starting to babble a lot more and is starting to reach for different objects. We tried out his excersaucer that his cousin Mason is letting him borrow and he did really well, he started to cry when I took him out of it! He is very good at bedtime too. All I have to do is feed him and put him in his crib. He looks around and coos a little bit before he puts himself to sleep. He is the perfect baby and we love him so much! His daddy tells everyone that he is the best baby in the world, and I agree.

Here are some of the pictures we took this week.

Donovan went to visit his adopted grandma Joyce this Sunday. They had a lot of fun together and Donovan got some rest on her pillows... While we were over there, I found a fun new game that Donovan loves! I just wish I could get a better picture of him smiling, he seems to get a little shy around the camera He has been smiling really big lately and it is so cute!! He is so much fun now, he sleeps really well at night and is usually pretty happy when he wakes up. He still loves to eat of course, but we like him enough to let him eat as much as he wants. He is getting more interested in his toys and is starting to tolerate us for longer periods of time. He gets the biggest smiles in the morning when he first wakes up, it makes me melt every time, nothing in the world is as sweet as a babies smile. We love the little guy.

Not too much happened this week, I-dub is going to Districts this weekend (the girls anyway) and they will most likely win. Brad says if they don't win on Friday, he will cry (the team they are playing only has 14 girls and 2 or 3 of them are goalies). I hope they go to Nationals, but I am dreading it being just me and the baby, I love him, but I am so glad I'm not a single mom!!


Donovan is going to dress up tomorrow so we will be sure to post his cute little tiger pictures...if I were into Halloween I might paint his face, but don't plan on it.

The Boy

We recently discovered that Donovan enjoys his mobile. It doesn't last for long, but it keeps him busy long enough for his mommy to start dinner or do a little bit of housework. Notice how he is most excited looking at the soccer ball...















DeAnna has learned that having a baby and working full time is not the most fun thing in the world, but it helps her to cherish the time she gets to be around Donovan in the evenings and on the weekends.

Donovan just started going to a baby sitter this week. It is hard for his mommy and daddy to leave him with someone else. We like that he gets to be around kids, but it is still sad to leave his cute face in the mornings. The baby sitter let us know that he is a very good baby. Out of all the kids she watches, he is the easiest. We are very proud of him for that. He is so good natured and chill, unless he is hungry!! We love our little man so much. It is hard to imagine life without him. We went out last night and had Aunt Hannah babysit for us, we felt like something was missing! He has blended in so well with our little family, he is the perfect addition.

Another recent development with Donovan is grabbing onto things. Brad was helping him grasp some of his toys last night and he actually held onto them! He usually lets go immediately, but he is starting to figure out his hands and what they can do. He is so smart. He loves to look around at his environment. I can only imagine what he thinks about everything. He loves it when people talk to him. He gets his big grin and coos like a mad man. His eyes are still dark blue, but are showing a tiny hint of green. He is growing like a weed!! He is fitting very nicely in his 3-6 month clothes, but I don't think they will last too much longer!

Donovan's Check up

We know it hasn't been a week yet. With a little one things change so often and too many things happen in just a few days!



Donovan went in for his 2 month checkup and immunizations yesterday. He is in the 95th percentile for weight, the 90th for height, and 50th for head circumference. The doctor assured us that genetics will take over sooner or later so he probably won't be big forever...especially if he is going to be playing soccer the minute he can walk. He did really well with the shots. His Mommy didn't cry, but there were some tears. His Daddy had to leave the room. He didn't even seem distressed until after the 3rd shot. The nurse got it done quickly and she was really sweet to him. He had a look of confusion on his face after the 1st shot, but like I said, it didn't phase him until after the 3rd. He stopped crying the minute his mom picked him up and gave him loves. We were very proud of him, but still felt bad.

Here is our little chunk, he is irresistible. He has the most kissable cheeks in the world and we love it!

Donovan-2 months old

Well, Donovan is now 2 months old. I had to go back to work today so Donovan had a fun day with his Daddy. We don't know how much the boy is weighing these days, but I'm guessing around 13 lbs. He is a big strong baby. Who'd a thunk Brad and I could have such a tank! He loves to cuddle and be held, but he especially loves to eat...go figure. He and I went on his first plane ride a little over a week ago to Utah and he was an excellent traveler. He got to meet his cousins and visit with his grandparents who all adore him (how could they not?). His has already grown out of most of his feety pajamas and it makes me sad because they are so cute.

Brad is still helping assist the soccer teams at the college. They have the Conference Championship next week and Districts a week or two later. He loves to coach, but I know he would really like to play for a couple more years. I guess we will have to see where life takes us next. For now, he gets to be the head coach for one of the local high schools just outside of Council Bluffs. The Athletic Director who interviewed him told him he was pretty overqualified, so they are very grateful to have him. He is very talented and knows the game better than I could ever hope to. I give him a hard time for being gone so much, but I know he is doing what he loves and that makes him happy and makes going to school and being a stay at home dad more bearable...not that he doesn't love playing with Donovan for most of the day, but he isn't one to sit at home for very long not being productive.
Donovan is all ready for Halloween!! He is the cutest Tiger ever!

Like I said before, I went back to work today. It wasn't too bad, but I would love to be able to stay at home with my baby boy. Brad gets him when he is happy, I get to be with him in the evenings which is grumpy fussy time. I can't complain though, I love the little bugger too much. He is so much fun and I love him so much! I am already worried about him getting older. His Daddy already told him today that he can't grow up. I have never been so protective of anything. I hate leaving him and I don't want him to get old enough to leave the house without me! I am sure I will get over it, but I don't want to think about that day yet!